A proposed new system developed by Transport for NSW aims to make it easier for road managers such as councils to access data about road usage and function in a transparent way so it can be used to help make evidence-based decisions about who should have responsibility for roads.
Historically there has been an ad-hoc approach to road recategorisation requests and decision-making in NSW, with no clear framework in place for road managers to understand how their roads are being used and which categories of State, Regional or Local roads they best fit into.
Until now, road managers have also had to wait years or decades for ad-hoc reviews of road category change requests.
Regardless of who manages a road, the proposed new system has been established to enable managers, such as councils, to evaluate their own networks, put forward robust proposals and have them assessed in a timely manner.
“The NSW road network is more than 185,000 kilometres long and much of that in regional NSW so the changes proposed aim to deliver better roads management for our regional communities in particular,” Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said.
“Councils manage over 85 per cent of this network and our government is committed to collaborating with them on an improved new system.”
Overall, it will be a more straightforward and transparent process for identifying, processing and implementing road category changes.
New guidance notes to outline the process and other key considerations have now been released to road managers for review and feedback ahead of further consultation in 2025.
For more information, visit www.transport.nsw.gov.au/nswroadreviews
